Guest blogger: A wowing anniversary dinner at Erlowest

A regular reader celebrated her anniversary at The Inn at Erlowest in Lake George and sent in the following account. She had only two proscriptions: sea urchin, which she finds texturally displeasing, and rabbit heart, which she tried once in a rabbit-four-ways dish and does not wish to eat again. Otherwise Erlowest’s head chef, Dale Miller, was free to create whatever he chose. The price for the food was $150 per person.

First plate: Champagne-poached oyster on a lobster and brie frittatta with osetra caviar. This was beautifully plated with the tender oyster nestled on top of a frittatta so light it could only be descibed as egg air, surrounded by small bits of lobster and topped with caviar.

Second plate: Spicy seared kampachi with pineapple-wasabi salsa and soy gastrique, paired with miso-glazed sablefish with haricot vert tempura finished with French-pressed lemongrass broth. I think this was my favorite course. The two fish dishes were so good and so different. The kampachi was served on a Himalayan salt slab, so the part that was touching had just a slightly salty essence to it. Chef Dale poured the lemongrass broth tableside into the bowl holding the sablefish, and it was great to inhale that aroma before tasting the dish. It reminded me of a recent “Iron Chef” where one of the challengers served a dish nestled inside another bowl and poured a broth mixed with spices as an aroma bath to accompany the dish. That chef was chastised by some of the judges because the aroma didn’t match/enhance the dish, but Chef Dale gets props from me because it all came together.

Third plate: Giant prawn stuffed with Gorgonzola butter and brushed with pine nut gremolata, wrapped in prosciutto and served with a savory port-pear lavender sorbet. This wasn’t a giant prawn, it was a ginormous prawn. I felt like Henry the VIII with a turkey leg. For all its size, the prawn was not overcooked or tough. Although the previous fish dish was my favorite, the sorbet in this dish was a close second. It was so surprising for its complexity: simulaneous flavors of savory and sweet. The coolness of the sorbet also paired very nicely with hearty warmth of the prawn. It was quite the exercise for the tastebuds to go from sweet to savory to hot to cold, but this is the kind of exercise I could do every day!

Intermezzo: Wild forest berry and mint sorbet. I know everyone serves sorbets as palate cleansers, but this one was presented in a Lalique lily-shaped bowl. It looked so beautiful with the sorbet as the center of a crystal flower, and tasted light and refreshing with fresh mint leaves.

Main plate: Espresso-seared lamb with chocolate/smoked sea salt sauce and a foie gras-stuffed squab with strawberry rhubarb glaze; potato dauphonaise and sweet corn crema with glazed late-summer vegetables. Another winning course. The lamb was perfectly seared with a slightly crusty espresso outside, and tender pink inside. I love mole sauce, but this chocolate/smoked sea salt sauce took mole to the moon and back. The foie gras-stuffed squab was melt-in-your mouth tender. The side dishes were not simple afterthoughts. The potato sliced so thin, it was almost see-through and also very tender. The corn crema had some feta sprinkled in with it, and I loved the interplay of sweet/savory and creamy/crumbly. Whenever my tastebuds needed a little rest, we’d head for the perfectly glazed veggies.

Salad: Tableside sizzling duck salad with Littlefield greens dressed with Sriracha-ginger vinaigrette. I started to run out of steam here, and only ate the duck and vegetable spring roll, leaving the greens so I could have room for dessert. My husband raved about it, and he’s not a big duck fan. The duck was cooked in an incredibly earthy mushroom sauce, and the greens wilted ever so slightly from the heat of the duck, and he loved the way that all came together. He ate every bite.

Dessert: Classic Linzer torte, raspberry coulis, chocolate-raspberry ice cream, Bing cherry sorbet, tropical Key lime tart “firecracker.” OK, so it’s more dessert buffet than single dessert, but I loved it! Each dessert serving was enough for just a few bites so you could finish the entire plate, like I did, without feeling like, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” Again, not only did it all taste great, the plate looked gorgeous when it was brought out, especially the Key lime tart. It had multiple fruit sauces painted into a small flower-like shape next to it, and Pop-Rocks sprinkled alongside … that’s where the “firecracker” part of the name comes from. I think that was probably my favorite part, because you could hear it, visually it was the most colorful part of the dessert plate with its accompanying sauce painting, and the taste ranged from creamy goodness for the tart, bright fruit sauces, and exploding pop rocks. YAY!

The lighting in the tasting room off the kitchen was low and romantic, perfect for an anniversary dinner, but not so perfect for pictures. I wish I could show you how beautiful everything truly looked, not just the food presentation but the china itself. It was all very elegant. We did not do the wine pairing, but the sommelier suggested an excellent bottle of burgundy (Perrot-Minot, en la Rue de Vergy, 2002, $138) that paired very well with the entire dinner. Service was also top-notch. We never had to wait for wine or water to be poured, or too lon between courses, but it never felt like anyone was intruding either. That’s a hard balance to strike, but I think they did a great job.

Advance notice and reservations are required for tasting menus; call 668-5928. The Inn at Erlowest is located at 3178 Lake Shore Drive (Route 9N), Lake George, about a mile north of Northway Exit 22.

8 Responses

Oh my goodness…my husband and I are going to dinner there on Oct. 17 as a late anniversary celebration and I was excited before reading this review…and now…can’t wait!!! I’ve said in this blog before how I’ve followed Dale’s cooking since he worked at Stone Ends….then to Jack’s and now at Erlowest…he seems to get better at each venue.

Dale, if you read this….hope you are in house on 10/17….we’ll be looking for you.

Absolutely Devine! Nothing surprises me about Dale – he is incredibly creative and an artist at decorating the dishes. The man is an icon and people should follow him no matter where he is. We must keep him here…we need to have such a talent in the Capital Region.

Dear Guest blogger, I am thrilled that you enjoyed your experience at Erlowest and thank you for taking the time to write in. I am greatful to my incredibly dedicated staff for their passion for excellence in hospitality, especially my Chef de Cuisine Michael Hinrichs. Thank you Chef Michael for over 4 years of loyalty and dedication.

Dear llcwine, Thank you for your support over the years and yes I will be in house on 10/17. Happy Anniversary.

I also want to thank JJ, Jay H. and Delmar Diner for your kind words. I am thrilled when guests have so thoroughly enjoyed their dining experience. I am on a continual quest for perfection with honing my craft, not only for myself, but for my colleagues and most importantly for our guests. Perfection of course can never be attained, (i.e. Ruth’s overcooked Filet Mignon in our review) but it is my constant struggle as a Chef. When I fall short of my goal, no one can beat me up more than I beat myself up. But, that is part of the territory when you dedicate your life to your profession. It is very humbling and rewarding at the same time. I am proud to call Albany and the Capital region my home and Tribes Hill, NY my home town. I am fortunate to be among an incredible pool of talented, dedicated and professional men and women cooking right here in our area. I would love to name everyone, but I am afraid that I would leave someone out. After all, I am almost 50 and the mind isn’t what it used to be. You all know who you are, I have either cooked with you or eaten your wonderful food. You all inspire me and you are ingredients in my recipe of life.
Lastly, I would like to commend you Steve for raising the bar and awareness for the area’s culinary scene with your blog, your culinary perspective and your educational and intriguing column. Keep up the great work!
Chef Dale Miller

WOW! Master Chef Dale not only is an excellent Culinary Master, but also an excellent writer. Is there anything that this man cannot do? The last time I saw him he was organizing the flowers and plants outside Erlowest. Actually I have seen Dale many times cooking, publically and privately – creating some of the most beautiful artistic dishes that one only expects to see in exclusive Michelin restaurants. I can only say that we are so blessed to have him with us. But mostly what many admire about him is his humility – and that makes him a Super Master Individual.